Love Blossom
by FromBomi
Summary: Fuji Rina is shy and naive when it comes to boys. She wants a boyfriend but she's too shy to even come in contact with them. It also doesn't help that she has a huge brother complex for Syusuke. In his eyes, he wants to keep his little sister sweet and innocent. What happens when Rina finds a boy she might fall for, how will Syusuke react to all this!
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone. Thank you taking a chance to read my story. I'm somewhat new to writing and this my first upload to FF. I hope you enjoy it. Please leave a review and critique me. I want to improve my writing. Thank you!

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"Rina, it's time to for you to wake up. Rina~!" I groggily opened my eyes to find my older brother gently shaking my shoulders to wake me up.

"Onii-san…five more minutes please?" I pleaded; giving him the best puppy eyes my tired state could pull. Usually, it was not a problem for me to wake up but there was a tennis special the night before showcasing Seigaku's tennis team. Even though I go always watch my brother and his team play tennis, the fact there were on T.V was exciting.

"Rina, if you don't get ready soon, I'll leave without you." My eyes shot open and I jumped off the bed to run to the bathroom. Cursed my brother complex, he always know how to get me worked up. It's not my fault I have brother complex, how could anyone not when their big brother is Fuji Syusuke. I love all my siblings; Yumiko and Yuta, but I love my big brother the most. I ran downstairs to see Syusuke waiting by the door for me. I quickly yelled good-bye to my sister and parents and linked my arm with Syusuke.

"Ne, Onii-san, can I come see you during your practice?" I asked on our way to school.

"Of course. I would love it if someone were to bring me water when I practice." Syusuke smiled.

"I can do that. I don't want Onii-san to get dehydrated from playing tennis!" I beamed, letting go of his arms to clap.

"I have the cutest little sister in the world." He smiled and ruffled my hair. I smiled cheerfully at his affections. I love my Onii-san the best.

When we arrived at the school gate, we met up with his friends, fellow tennis regulars. Kikumaru was chatting with his double's partner, Oishi. I could tell Kikumaru was really into the conversation because his arms were flailing around and his was jumping up and down in a hyperactive manner. Oishi, being the calm one, was smiling and nodding his head to show that he was following the conversation. When they noticed our presence, Kikumaru ceased his jumping and turned his attention to us.

"Good Morning~nyah!" He pounced and started hug me in an overly affectionate manner. I don't like it when anyone but my brother touches me. I value Kikumaru as a friend but the skin contact was getting too much for me. I could feel my face heating up from embarrassment. I felt his touch gone within a split second. I looked up to see that Syusuke was holding Kikumaru back with a scary expression on his face. You know when my big brother means business when his eyes are open.

"Please refrain from embarrassing my precious little sister, Kikumaru-Kun." He returned his face to normal but the threatening presence was still there.

"Gomen ne Fuji-kun. I just get excited when I see Rina-chan. She's just too cute to tease." Kikumaru laughed as he rubbed the back of his head. I blushed even harder with his compliment.

"I only like it Onii-san compliments me…"I mumbled and his behind Syusuke. We chatted for a few minutes more until we heard the first warning bell. Syusuke and I parted ways when he headed towards the third year classrooms of the building and I went to the second year classrooms. I sat down in my seat and started to chat with my friend in front of me.

"Rina-chan, did you see the tennis team on television last night?" She asked. We giggled as we gossiped about our male tennis team. "After the spotlight on Seigaku, there was a segment about Shitenhoji Middle School in Osaka.

"Shitenhoji Middle School? I've never heard of them." I commented. The only tennis teams I know are the ones that Seigaku has played against.

"The captain of the team is so hot!" She sighed. Her eyes brightened up and sparkled as she reminisce about the image she saw on the T.V.

" Onii-san is probably more attractive that he is." I retorted. In my eyes, my big brother is the best person in the world.

"That's true. Fuji-sama is the prince of our school." She blushed at the thought of my brother. I couldn't help but smile as her cuteness. "Ne, Rina-chan. How do you expect to find a boyfriend with your intense brother complex? It's not like you can date him." She added.

"It's not like I don't want a boyfriend." I frowned. "It's just that there's not one as great as my Onii-san. Plus, I'm too shy to talk to other guys. I even get embarrassed when they touch me." I blushed at the thought of another man coming in contact with me.

"Aw, Rina. You're so innocent and cute. I seriously wonder why guys aren't asking you out." She gushed as she pinched my cheeks.

"Stop that!" I blushed. "Ayano-chan is more popular with the guys." It's true. Ayano is the second year's beauty. Besides being beautiful, she's so confident in herself. I'm jealous. I'm only able to open up to her and my siblings, especially my big brother.

After the school day ended, I walked over the tennis courts and find the team already practicing. I immediately spotted my big brother watching talking with Tezuka while they watched some of the underclassmen play.

"Onii-san!" I smiled cheerfully. "Good afternoon Tezuka-sempai." I bowed politely and he nodded at my greeting. Besides my big brother, I couldn't help but greatly respect Tezuka. He is one of the greatest players I have ever seen.

"Okay, Tezuka. We can tell the team after practice ends." Syusuke said. I cocked my head in confusion. I wonder what Tezuka wants to tell the team.

"Tezuka was telling me the that Hyotei's tennis team invited our team over to play a practice match with them. Do you want to come with us to watch?" Syusuke explained seeing the curiosity on my face.

"Wherever Onii-san goes, I want to go too…." I remember Hyotei Middle School. They're the school with the rich snobby kids. When I watched the Seigaku vs. Hyotei match a couple weeks ago I was impressed with their tennis team. But their captain, Atobe Keigo, is so vain and conceited. His bold personality terrifies me in a way.

The morning of practice match with Hyotei, Syusuke and I met up with the rest of the tennis team to go the Hyotei Middle School together. Judging from the atmosphere, everyone was excited to go to Hyotei. I don't blame them for their excitement. Hyotei is considered to be one of their biggest rivals in the district. When we arrived to Hyotei, the tennis courts were crowded with its students cheering for the Atobe. Atobe and his teammates walked over to us.

"Even though this is a practice match, watch and be amazed at my prowess." He boasted. I glanced him to take at their team. I blushed when I realized how attractive the Hyotei team is up close. The tall one with silver hair caught me staring and blushed which made me blush an even darker red, if that was possibly. I hid behind my brother and calm myself down. Why am I getting embarrassed? All we did was locked us…I peered over my brother's arm to steal another glance at the team to see that the tall silver haired guy was looking the other way with a tomato red face. I couldn't help but giggle at the sight. Syusuke noticed my giggled and looked over to what I was giggling about. He frowned at the thought of his baby sister possibly developing a crush on a guy. Rina was his precious little sister. The same little that innocently asked if they could get married in the future when they were kids. He wants his baby sister to stay innocent forever. Unlike his naïve little sister, he noticed a lot of guys eyeing her since they entered the school grounds. There's not way he'll let anyone taint his little sister.

"If he tries anything to her, I'll have to take care of him like the rest ofguys that tried doing the same." Syusuke mentally started formulating possible plans to keep guys away from his baby sister.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank for you taking interest in my story. I hope you enjoy the next chapter. I would greatly appreciate some feedback, if you'd want to of course! Thank you :]

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The practice matches started off with the doubles; Seigaku's golden pair against Gakuto Mukahi and Oshitari Yuushi. At the last game, Kikumaru played them but Oishi ran into some trouble on the way to the game so Momoshiro went in his place. Kikumaru and Momoshiro won against them but how would the Golden Pair do? I believe in their strength but you know never what can happen in a game of tennis.

"Gambatte~! Kikumaru-Sempai, Oishi-Sempai!" I cheered. They both smiled at me and Kikumaru flashed me a wink with a peace sign. I looked over to their opponents and frowned. I remembered they were strong opponents. Even though it's only a practice match, I don't want us to lose. As the game played on, I couldn't help but be entertained with Kikumaru's and Gakuto's acrobatic tennis. It's so funny to watch them do leaps and backflips as they rally the ball.

"Onii-san, I'm going to get a drink from the vending machine, do you want anything?" I asked getting up, the thirst finally getting to me.

"Ponta." Ryoma overheard and interrupted. I blush and nodded, I couldn't really say no the baby of the team.

"No I'm fine. I have my water bottle with me." Syusuke declined before turning his attention to Ryoma.

"Echizen…. My sister is not your servant. Don't take advantage of her like that, ne?" Fuji smiled but Ryoma felt the malice coming off of it. He nodded and mumbled an apology.

"She offered anyways…Sister complex weirdo." He grumbled.

"Did you say something Echizen?" Fuji smiled and for a split second, Ryoma swore he heard the sound of sharpening knives.

I stood in front of the vending machine, contemplating what drink I wanted. There were so many choices in front of me. Do I want coffee? Or Juice? Maybe flavored water? I decided on juice. Now the trouble is what kind of juice. There's apple juice, orange, juice and peach juice. Peach juice sounds really nice right now. I inserted the money and picked up a can of ponta and peach juice. I smiled at my decision. When I came back to the tennis courts, I gave Ryoma his ponta and sat down next to Syusuke.

"How's the match?" I asked sipping on some juice.

"Good, they're pretty much evenly matched right now" He responded with his ever-present smile. I reached into my pocket to grab my phone to send a message to Ayano but my pocket was empty. I searched around my seat and in my bag but still no phone. I hit my forehead, cursing at myself. I must have forgotten in at the vending machine.

"I'll be right back. I think I left my phone back at the vending machine." I quickly jogged over there again. When I arrived, there was a guy standing in front of it. When I looked closer, it was the same guy that I locked eyes with earlier. I'm way to embarrassed and scared to approach him. So I decided to wait until he was gone before I can grab my phone on the ground next to the machine. Just my luck, he noticed my phone on the ground and pick it up himself. He flipped it up to reveal a picture of Syusuke and I smiling. I saw him pout at the picture and he pocketed my phone. He's trying to steal my phone!

"H-hey! That's my p-phone!" I revealed myself to him and stuttered out the words. I could tell my face was becoming redder by the second. I couldn't help it. I rarely confront anyone, especially a guy. I could see that I'm not the only one getting red. He should be embarrassed. I just caught him in the act.

"I wasn't trying to steal it, I swear. I wanted a drink and found this on the ground. I opened it to see who it could belong to. When I saw the picture of you and your boyfriend, I knew it was yours. I was going to return to you, I swear." He explained calmly with a slight ting of red on his cheeks.

"He's not my boyfriend. He's my big brother." I pouted, shyly kicking the ground. The thought of my brother and I as a couple is too embarrassing.

"Your brother. I see." His smile with his eyes brightening up. I couldn't help but think how attractive this guy is. I took a second to take more notice of his silver hair and stall stature. He had to be at least a good foot taller than me. He noticed me eyeing him up and down and blushed hard. "My name is Ootori Choutaro." He introduced himself.

"Fuji Rina." I politely responded. He's such a gentleman. I mentally took note. We found ourselves moving our conversation to the nearby bench. Ootori is a really great person to talk with. I felt so comfortable with him, which is strange because I never get comfortable being around a guy, especially someone I literally just met a few minutes before. The only other guys I'm comfortable handling a conversation with is Syusuke and Yuuta. There are so many interesting points about Ootori. For one, he loves to play the piano. He is also a really great friend; he seems to greatly admire his doubles partner. He couldn't stop talking about how hardworking and great his partner is. The way his eyes light when he's talking about the piano and tennis is so attractive.

"Handsome…." I said under my breath. Everything about this guy is handsome. Not as handsome and great at my big brother but there's something about Ootori that's pulling me towards him. I want to learn more about him. He suddenly stopped talking and covered his face with his hand. He's blushing hard right now. I think he just heard what I said about him. I turned away from him and covered my face in the same manner. I can't believe I said that out loud. I want to run away from him but my legs couldn't bring themselves to get up. My mind is telling me to run far away from him but my body still wants to be near him.

"OI! Choutaro! Where you been! Our match is about to start." I remember this guy as his partner from the last game Seigaku and Hyotei played. They defeated Inui and Kaidoh. Oh! We're still having a practice game! I suddenly remembered and darted off to where Syusuke is. I bet he's worried sick about where I am.

"Wait, Fuji-san!" I heard Ootori calling after me but Syusuke is much more important to me.

"Developing a little crush on the little Seigaku girl?" Shishido elbowed Ootori's ribs and walked back to the tennis courts.

Since I ran all the way back, I arrived before the Silver pair did.

"Rina, where have you been? I've been worried sick about you." Syusuke ran over to me and hugged me tightly. I felt as peace with his affection.

"Gomen ne Onii-san. I lost track of time." I apologized, snuggling closer to his chest. I hate making Syusuke sad. It's one of the worst possible feeling to have for me. "Really, I'm sorry!" I pulled a little away from him and pouted with small tears brimming around my eyes.

"Aww, Rina. I know you'll never do any wrong. You're my perfect little sister." Syusuke rubbed my head affectionately.

"Onii-San, you're the best!" I hugged him tighter. Unbeknownst to me, Ootori and Shishido, along with everyone, else witnessed our sibling love. Shishido shook his head and patted Ootori on the back.

"Sorry man, the girl you're crushing on has a bad case of a brother complex." Ootori clenched his fist and stared determinedly at Syusuke and I. Syusuke looked up at him with eyes open and a deadly smile. Making sure I wasn't looking, Syusuke wagged his finger towards Ootori while shaking his no as a warning to stay away from her. Unfortunately for Fuji, unlike the other boys he scared away from asking out his sister, Ootori isn't going to back down so easily. The moment he locked eyes with Rina, he felt a strange pull towards her. He wants to know more about her.


	3. Chapter 3

Hello beautiful people~! I would have updated a couple days ago but I was too busy getting ready to travel. I'll be in Korea/Japan for a few weeks during my winter Vacation so updates will be a tad bit slower. I'll make it a goal to keep writing before I go to bed.

Surugasasa: Thank you for the encouragement :]

Amai Itonami: Haha, I doubt that. I would love to read your story the second I get the chance too :]

Kurousagi86: Thank you! I'll try my best to update :]

Yukarin: I'll keep working on it :]

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The next match was Ootori and Shishido against Kaidoh and Inui. Kaidoh looked rather vengeful when he walked up in the court. I guess he's still a sour that he lost the last match against him. Shishido looked rather confident with a smug look on his face compared to Ootori who kept his eyes on me. I blushed at his attention. Syusuke noticed my blush and frowned.

"Rina, do you know Ootori-san?" He questioned.

"I just met him today." I responded honestly. There was no reason for me to lie and plus, I could never lie to my big brother.

"What's making you blush so hard?" He ruffled my hair.

"I think he's handsome…" I admitted.

"Handsome? Is my baby sister replacing me already?" Syusuke feigned hurt. He wasn't going to let some guy take his little sister away from me. Especially some random guy she just met today.

"Replace you? There's no way I'll ever replace Onii-san. You'll always be number one!" I linked my arms with Syusuke and smiled.

"I'm glad." He responded with another one of his famous smiles.

As the match went on Inui and Kaidoh was leading the game. I'm glad that our team was winning it doesn't seem right with how much Ootori and Shishido was losing. Then it hit me. Ootori was too unfocused to play. He kept his gaze all on me, which I couldn't really understand why. Instead of seriously playing, Why would he give me his attention? Maybe I'm just being too self-centered. I'm not that special of a girl, and plus we barely just met.

"Choutaro! Get your head in the game!" Shishido yelled at Choutaro. Atobe wasn't even phased with how the game was going. He invited Seigaku's tennis team over for a friendly match with no ill will behind it. As much as he strived to be the best, he wanted his team to strive harder and train. To an extent, he was glad this newfound distraction came to light. If Ootori needed to become stronger he must overcome all obstacles that's in his way, no matter how cute she may be.

"Gomen." Ootori apologized. He shook his head to help himself focus on the match. He shouldn't be so easily distracted. But how could he help himself. He just met the most beautiful angel he ever laid eyes on. Even when he tried to focus, his eyes still linger to where she was sitting.

The match ended with Inui and Kaidoh dominating the match. Although they won, they were not happy with their win. What use is winning when their opponent wasn't even giving it his best? On the other side, Shishido was seething in anger. He was almost ready to punch Ootori in the face. It was because of him they lost. Since Ootori is his best friend, he'll get over it eventually but right now, he's disappointed in his friend. Atobe was the only one taking it well. He was a bit disappointed with his teammates for losing but now they have something to work from and grow stronger. If Ootori doesn't get over his little crush soon, he'll have to dismiss Ootori as a regular.

The rest of the matches went without much excitement. Syusuke ended up not playing any games. His excuse was that he didn't feel like playing today; I know it was actually because he didn't want to leave my side. I didn't mind. We lost a few and won a few. The matches weren't too serious. It was all in good fun, for the most part. I didn't see much of Ootori after his match. His partner took him to the side and it appeared that he was being chastised. I felt sort of bad for Ootori. I think I was the reason why he couldn't concentrate so much.

When it was time for us to go, I still haven't seen Ootori yet. I felt a little sad that I won't be able to say good bye to him before I left. Who knows when the next time I'm able to see his handsome face? I secretly wished I had gotten his email. It's too embarrassing for me to have asked and plus there's a chance he would decline. I don't want to go through that kind of rejection. Even if he did agree to give me his email, what are the chances he would mail me back? All the What-ifs were starting to make my heart feel heavy. It wasn't a good feeling.

"Rina, what's wrong?" Syusuke asked sensing my sadness.

"I had hoped to see Ootori-san one more time before we leave." I honestly admitted.

"He's probably not that into you." Syusuke responded. He wanted his little sister to push out all thoughts of other guys immediately before anything starts to develop.

"You're probably right. A guy like him wouldn't want to talk to a girl like me." I sadly smiled. It was probably the truth. A guy as nice and handsome as Ootori probably has a beautiful and great lady friend besides him.

"That's not true. Rina, you're my beautiful and precious little sister. You're not just some girl. You're the perfect girl." Syusuke suddenly felt a pang of guilt. He honestly wanted his little sister to be happy, but he's not going to give her up to some random guy, or any guy for that matter. In his mind, Rina, Yuuta, and him were enough.

"Onii-san, you're the best. I love you." My spirits were immediately brought back up. No matter what, I'll always have Onii-san. I hugged him tightly before walking out of Hyotei's school gates.

"Fuji-san!" I stopped mid stepped and turned around. Ootori was jogging towards me. My heart started racing with a million thoughts on why he's coming after me. When he finally caught up to me, he took a second to catch his breath before speaking.

"I wanted to see you before you go." He started before catching another breath. "I was wondering if you wanted to go out on a date with me tomorrow." He finished blushing bright red. I couldn't help but blush along with me. It's embarrassing enough to see him trying to catch up for me but for him to ask me out on a date, I nearly fainted.

"M-me?" I responded in disbelief. I feel like I need to be pinch because this has to be a dream. No one has ever asked me out on a date before.

"H-hai." He stuttered. Ootori was mentally preparing himself for a rejection. Even though he had just met this girl earlier today, he didn't want to lose her so quickly. He wanted to see more of her and just listen to her sweet angelic voice. He knew that if he didn't ask her out now, he would probably not be able to see her for a really long time.

"I would love to go on a date with you…." I blushed accepting his proposal. My first actual date… Springtime is coming early for me this year. We exchanged email addresses and I bid him good bye. I joined my brother in the bus and told him the "good" news.

"Onii-san. I'm going on my first date tomorrow!" With that line alone, Syusuke felt his perfect world is falling apart. His precious little sister is going on a date with a guy he unapproved of.

"That's great Rina! I hope you have fun tomorrow." Syusuke smiled sweetly, but underneath his smile is something much more sinister. There was no way he is going to let this date go smoothly.


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry for the long wait. I was visiting Korea and Japan for awhile. When I came back to the states, I was thrown into school work then the U-Kiss concert happened in NYC. It was just really crazy and busy for me. But now I'm back! I made this chapter extra long to make up for my absence. Thank you everyone for the kind words and encouragement. Thank you as well for taking the time to read this. Please enjoy :]

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I woke up with butterflies fluttering in my stomach. I think I counted to around 300 sheep before falling asleep; I was way too excited to go to sleep. Then it dawned on me. This was my first date. My first real date with a real boy! The only "dates" I have ever gone on were days spent with Syusuke. I should just act normal be myself, that's what all the magazines say to do. I checked my watch to find that I still had 3 hours to meet him at Tokyo Station. It takes around 20 minutes to get to the station and another 20 to arrive at Tokyo Station. So I roughly have around 2 hours to shower and get changed. Changed. Change into what exactly? What do I wear? What do girls wear to dates, especially to first dates?!

"Onii-san!" I cried running to Syusuke's room and jumping into bed with me.

"Aw, what's wrong?" He groggily hugged me like body pillow, preparing himself for another hour of sleep.

"Onii-san, my date is today and I don't know what to wear." The moment I said date, Syusuke's eyes shot opened.

"There there," He started to pet my head. "You go ahead and shower and I'll prepare you an outfit that I know he will love on you." He smiled.

"Onii-san, you're the best!" I kissed his cheeks before jumping into the shower.

When Syusuke heard the shower running, he took out his phone and speed dialed his dear little brother.

"Aniki? What do you want? It's 7am on a Saturday." Yuuta yawned on the phone, obviously irritated with his morning wake up call.

"Yuuta, we have a problem." Yuuta straightened himself. Judging from the seriousness of his brother's tone, he knew something was wrong.

"What's wrong?"

"Rina has a date today… with a boy." Syusuke paused for dramatic effect. Yuuta was seriously ticked off. His brother woke up on the one day he was able to sleep in because their sister had a date today?

"You sister complex weirdo! Rina is old enough to go on dates! " He yelled at Syusuke. Yuuta loves his twin sister but the relationship between his brother and sister is borderline incest.

"Yuuta, you don't understand. This boy is all wrong for Rina. He'll end up corrupting our cute sister and do unspeakable things to her." Syusuke defended.

"Is he really that bad? I mean, it's Rina we're talking about. She wouldn't accept an invitation from a bad guy and plus she's scared of guys. If she said yes to this one, he must've seemed harmless enough." Yuuta knew his sister is smart; she wouldn't be dumb enough to go out with a bad guy.

"Yuuta, we have to protect Rina. She's the most naïve and vulnerable out of all of us. I just want to keep her safe."

"Alright, what do you want me to do?" Yuuta gave in his brother. Syusuke had a point. Out of all the Fuji siblings, Rina was the youngest and most naïve. All he wanted for his sister to be safe and happy.

Syusuke had a knack for manipulating people, especially his little brother. He's protective of his brother as well but right now Rina is the one that is in danger. With the newly recruited help from his little brother, he'll make sure the date will end with Rina coming back into his arms. Now he had to prepare an outfit for his dear little sister. Syusuke rummaged through his little's drawers to find a forgotten yellow t-shirt with a Rilakkuma sleeping on the front. He also took out a long brown skirt; he had only seen Rina wore once before on one of their outings together. Syusuke was satisfied with his choice. Obviously to Syusuke, anything on his sister will absolutely look cute but in the eyes of another male, she wouldn't appear as such.

When I came out of the shower and looked at the outfit laid out on the bed picked by Syusuke, I was at a loss of words. Was this what boys like on girls these days? It doesn't look really cute. The Rilakkuma shirt? Really? I haven't worn that shirt in years and the skirt is something I wasn't too fond of.

"Onii-san…Are you sure this is okay?" I tried them on and stared at the mirror with my face twisted in uncertainty.

"You look absolutely adorable." Syusuke responded.

"If Onii-san thinks so, I guess it must be cute." There was no way my brother would purposely pick an ugly outfit for me to wear in public. After brushing my hair, I walked downstairs to get some breakfast.

"Rina. What are you wearing?" Yumiko was confused at my choice of attire.

"You don't like it? Onii-san picked it out for my date today." I responded doing a little turn for her to see. Yumiko held in the need to burst out laughing. There was no way she's going to let her little sister go out on a date in that. This is her first date and she was not going to let her brother ruin it for Rina.

"Come here, I'll fix you up." Yumiko took my hand and led me back upstairs. Instead of the outfit a "kindergartner wouldn't wear" as she put it, she gave me a cute long-sleeved white blouse that had a peter pan collar and a light blue mini skirt. She paired off my outfit with white high heels and let me borrow one of her designer bags. After checking to see if my outfit came together like she wanted, she applied some make up to my face and redone my hair. When I looked into the mirror, it was like looking at a girl from the fashion magazines. It feels like me but it doesn't look like me. I mentally took note that I should wear make up and curl my hair more often.

"Onee-san! Thank you so much! I look so pretty!" I gave her a hug; I should have gone to Yumiko in the beginning.

"Don't worry about it, baby sister. I just want you to have fun! Introduce him to the family one day!" she winked.

"Onii-san! Look! Onee-san dressed me up for today! I feel so pretty!" I wanted to show Syusuke before I left the house. Syusuke was at a loss of words. His sister looked seriously pretty. It drove him to try harder to make sure this guy doesn't fall for his baby sister.

"You look absolutely stunning." Syusuke couldn't deny how lovely his sister looked.

"Thank you! I'll see you later!" I gave one last kiss on the cheek and walked out of the house. Everything was going on schedule. In another 40 minutes, I'll be able to see Ootori again. My happiness could barely contain itself. Shortly after I left the house, Syusuke followed me out. He texted Yuuta to meet him at Tokyo Station in a different exit from where Rina was meeting her _**date**_.

I checked my watch and make sure I was on time. I was already 10 minutes but I saw Ootori standing next the pillar. He arrived before me so I wouldn't wait for him…that or he was just as excited as I. I blushed at the sight of him. He's so tall and handsome. His casual clothing makes him look like an undiscovered model. He had the height and face for it. He was wearing a pair of blue jeans, white t-shirt, and a light blue button up over it. From the color palette of his outfit, we looked like a matching couple. I blushed even harder at the unintentional matching.

"O-Otori-san." I stumbled on my words. I blushed at my stuttering. Cursed my inability to talk normally in front of him.

"Fuji-s-!" His smile faded into embarrassment. "You look b-beautiful" He put his hand over his face to hide his blushing. Seeing him blush made me feel reassured that I wasn't the only one embarrassed.

"Thank you." I rubbed my arm shyly. His compliment had more of an effect on me that Syusuke's.

"Our matching color makes us look like a couple." He laughed, rubbing the back of his head. Then stopped once he realized what he had just said. "Not like we're a couple or anything. I mean this is just our first date…and I just said something completely stupid didn't I?" He felt like he was making it worse for himself.

"No! Not at all! Honestly, I was thinking the same when I first saw you waiting." I admitted.

"I guess we're always thinking the same thing." He sheepishly smiled. His smile alone is already makes me my heart pound.

"So what are we doing for our date?" I asked, excited on how this date is going to play out.

"I was thinking of taking you to the zoo, if you're okay with that?" He politely responded.

"The zoo?" My eyes lit up. "I haven't gone to the zoo in ages!" I brightly smiled as he led me to the train that was heading towards the zoo.

While we were standing in the train, we started to talk about one another. Such as our likes and dislikes, just like a continuation of our conversation at Hyotei the day before, until someone bumped into me from behind. I turned around to apologize to the person to lock eyes with my twin brother.

"Yuuta!" I exclaimed with a mixture of happiness and surprise.

"Ah..Rina! Fancy running into you here. In this train…" Yuuta responded awkwardly.

"How have you been? I missed you so much! Onii-san and Onee-san misses you too!" I smiled giving him a hug. I really did miss my twin. It feels more complete having him next to me.

"I've been good. Just training and school." He responded. "Who's your friend."

"Ah, I'm so sorry." I apologized, I should have introduced him initially. "This is my twin brother, Yuuta."

"Hello. Nice to meet you, my name is Ootori Choutarou." Ootori introduced himself politely.

"Where are you guys headed to?" Yuuta asked nonchalantly.

"The zoo!" I responded cheerfully.

"Oh what a coincidence…I'm going to the zoo too." Yuuta felt he was just spitting out lines. Before he and Syusuke followed the couple inside the train, Syusuke instructed him to bump into Rina and somehow include himself in their little date. He wanted him to tell Rina that he had a date as well but his date stood him up so being the kind sister Rina is, she'll include him making Ootori irritated at their interrupted date. Best-case scenario is Ootori realizing that there is no way that he is able to come between the Fuji siblings.

"Oh really? Are you meeting up with someone?" I asked. If Yuuta was going on a date with a girl, I want to meet the lucky lady.

"I was, but she had to cancel on me today. I was already planning on going so I decided to go…_**alone**_." He made sure to stress the word alone.

"That's so unfortunate Fuji-san. If you'd like, would you join us today, if that's okay with your sister." He looked sympathetic to the male Fuji twin. Truth be told, if Rina had stood him up, he would have going to the Zoo alone too.

"Ootori-san, I was thinking the same thing." I smiled and linked arms with Yuuta. "Please join us. We need to catch up anyways."

This was not how Syusuke had wanted to happen. He wanted Rina to invite and have Ootori be the one annoyed in the group. Now looking at the trio, only Yuuta is the only annoyed for being dragged into Syusuke's plans. Ootori was a worthy adversary. Syusuke has to kick it up a notch to drive him away.

"Yuuta, I wish you'd come home more often." I leaned towards my twin and held his hand. Ootori noticed his date getting closer and closer to her brother. The public it was the Fuji twins out on a date and him being the awkward third wheel. He was slightly disheartened looking at the two so close together but on the other hand; he couldn't bring himself to voice his opinion. This was her twin brother that she hasn't seen in a long time. Seeing her happy was good enough for him. They'll be plenty of opportunities throughout the date for him to try and get closer to Rina. If today fails, another date would be great.

Yuuta noticed the serene loook in Ootori's face. This guy was perfectly fine with his date's brother being part of their date. He looked content as long as he was able to be near her. The way he looks at his twin sister is so full kindness, he felt bad for interrupting their date. The way Syusuke described this guy is the complete opposite of what he's seeing for himself. Yuuta was actually almost convinced that this guy could really make Rina happy and that's what really mattered in the end. His weird sister complex brother just have to realize this as well.


	5. Chapter 5

Hello Everyone. I hope you like the next chapter. I'm still trying to adjust to being back to the school life but I managed to find a good time to continue writing. Thank you!

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"Yuuta! Look a panda!" I shouted excitedly while dragging Yuuta to see the pandas. They were being lazy fat bums. One was sitting on a pile of broken bamboo sticks while gnawing on another stick of bamboo. The other panda was inside it's cave taking a nap without a care in the world. "The one sleeping reminds me of Nee-san when she's on holiday." I giggled at the thought of my sister lounging around the house. Yuuta laughed along with my comment.

"The one eating reminds me of you." Yuuta teased, "Actually, it kind of looks like you, chubby and hungry."

"Hey!" I playfully sent him a punch to the chest but he skillfully caught my fist and pulled me into a headlock.

"Hey! Don't forget I'm still older than you." He exclaimed.

"Yuuta! I'm sorry!" I laughed, knowing he was just being playful.

The entire time, Ootori was just watching the scene before him. He couldn't help but softly laugh at the relationship his date had with her sibling. From a third party's point of view, it looked like they were on a date instead of him and Rina. He frowned knowing that he won't be able to have some alone time with Rina.

"Ne, Yuuta. I'm going to walk with Ootori-san. I've been neglecting him. I don't want him to feel bad." I finally let go of Yuuta's arm and walked towards Ootori. Yuuta nodded and turned his attention back to the animals.

"Ootori-san. Gomen ne, I know we're on a date but I've been neglecting you." I bowed in apology.

"O-Oh, no! It's okay. You were excited to see your brother. I'm just glad you're having a good time." He smiled happily.

"But this is our date…I want to have fun….with you." I whispered the last part lightly. Ootori heard what I said and blushed at my comment.

"L-let's go see the next animals." He started walking off. "She's so cute! I need to contain myself and not scare her." He thought to himself. It took a lot of energy for him to hold back from giving her a hug. They just met and a hug would be too fast.

"Uwah! A giraffe!" My eyes brightened up when the giraffes came into view. I couldn't help but admire them; they're so cute and tall. "Sugoi…" I breathed.

"Are giraffes your favorite?" Ootori asked leaning against the railing. I nodded my head furiously.

"I love giraffes! "I smiled cheerfully.

"Do you want a drink?" He asked.

"Mmm, sure." I nodded without breaking my gaze away from the giraffes.

"I'll be right back. Wait here." He instructed me and took off with a jog. I nodded my head and continued admiring the giraffes. Honestly, I could stay and watch them for hours. Because I'm so short, I always wondered how it would be like to be a giraffe. They are tall enough to reach the tops of trees and do other tall animal things I couldn't think of at the moment. They're so tall….like Ootori. I suddenly had a vision of a giraffe with Ootori's head galloping in a happy state. I burst out laughing at that vision.

"Hey cutie." I heard a voice come form behind. I turned around to see two guys standing there. One was tanned and was wearing a beanie and the other was taller and in my opinion, he looked like one of those sleazy "host" type guys.

"Are you playing by yourself?" The sleazy looking one asked.

"N-no. I'm with a date." I shyly whispered. I hate talking to guys, and they were making me uncomfortable enough.

"Looks like your date abandoned you. Come play with us, we'll show you a good time." The guys with the beanie grabbed my arm. I immediately try to jerk my arm away but his grasp on me is too strong. These guys are seriously scary. I started to cry and tried pulling myself away.

"Hey! Get away from her!" Suddenly the guy's hold on me was gone. I looked up to face Ootori's back. I looked up from behind him and the guy that had grabbed me was on the floor holding his cheek. The guys started to feel intimidated by Ootori's height.

"She's not that cute anyways!" The sleazy one helped his friend up and they both ran away. Ootori turned around and tried to help me up.

"D-DON'T TOUCH ME!" I screamed and backed away from his touch. I held myself and continued to cry into my knees. Men are so scary, I hate them. "Onii-san." I whispered. I wanted my big brother here to protect me from the men. Ootori just looked at my current state in complete shock. He honestly had no idea what to do for her. He wanted to hold her and tell her she's safe but that would only traumatize her more in the end. Then an idea struck him. He took off running to the nearest store. Within a couple minutes he came back.

"Fuji-san." He said softly, doing everything he could to not scare her more.

"…" I looked up to see Ootori holding a large stuffed giraffe.

"When you're scared, one of the best things to do it to hug something that makes you feels safe." He remarked.

"Ootori-san." I didn't know what to say. I remembered how harshly I screamed at him when he tried to help me up. He was the one that saved me from those awful men. Now here he is continuing to comfort me. I slowly took the stuffed giraffe and hugged it, and he was right. Cuddling does help when you're scared. I slowly got up on my own and looked up to face him.

"Thank you…" I shyly thanked him.

After walking around the zoo, our stomachs started to growl. Ootori and I laughed at our stomachs coming in sync.

"I guess it's time for lunch, anything you want" Ootori asked,

"Korean BBQ!" I shouted happily.

"Then Korean BBQ it is. " He nodded in agreement.

"Wait, let me call Yuuta to see where he went." I took out my phone to dial his number. I haven't seen him since we saw the pandas in the beginning. "Yuuta, where are you?"

"Oh, I went home. I got tired and left. " He explained.

"But you didn't say goodbye to me." I said sadly.

"Don't be too sad. I'll visit home more to come see you." That brought up my mood. "But Rina, just watch out for Aniki." He warned.

"Okay…I love you!" I nodded in confusion and sent him my love. Once I hanged up the phone, I turned to Ootori and explained what happened to Yuuta.

While eating Korean BBQ, we just chatted about everything. I learned more about Ootori like where he spent his childhood and how he first got into tennis.

"Fuji-san?" It looked like he wanted to ask a question. "Why are you so afraid to be around men." I dropped the lettuce wrap that was in my hand and quickly cleaned up my mess. Honestly, that question caught me completely off guard.

"Sorry if that was too forward. I don't want you to feel too uncomfortable but when I saw your reaction earlier today with those guys, I was really worried about you." He explained. I found myself reaching for the stuffed giraffe and clutching one of its leg for comfort. "If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. I just want you to be comfortable. I'm sorry I brought it up." He apologized.

"No it's fine. After what happened, I should explain myself." I let go of the giraffe. "Well it all started when I was in 2nd grade….." I started.


	6. Chapter 6

Hello everyone! Today my school decided to close campus due to snow. Instead of catching up on homework, I decided to lounge around my room and write this chapter. Haha. I should be doing work xD Thank you for reading!

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Syusuke stood in front of the two guys that had the guts to try and pick up his precious little sister. Syusuke witnessed the whole event of these two sleaze balls trying to take his sister away. When they ran off, he managed to cut them off outside the Zoo gates. Within a couple seconds, both were lying on the floor in agonizing pain. They had no time to even think what just happened to them. As Syusuke wiped the dirt off his knuckles, the guy with the beanie, now fallen off, gasped. "You asshole…w-why?"

"Anyone who dare messes with my family deserves to suffer." Syusuke simply glared at him. The two guys picked each other up and limped off.

"Now I have to find Rina again." Syusuke frowned to himself walking back into the zoo in search of his sister to continue "chaperoning" his sister. There was no way Syusuke was going to that happened to Rina ever again. That day he swore to always protect his little sister.

"It all started when Yuuta and I were in 2nd grade. My family and I lived in Chiba before we moved here to Tokyo. Everyday I would play with Onii-san, Yuuta, and Ko-niisan too! I remember Onee-san picking me a lot for playing with the boys. I couldn't help it, I was glued to being with Yuuta and all Yuuta wanted to do was play with Onii-san." I started to giggle at various memories of all of us playing in the park.

"It sounded like you had a fun childhood." Ootori commented, a part of him fearing for what was coming next in the story.

"I had such a happy and fun childhood until that happened…." I trailed off.

"What happened?"

"….." I could only stare at Ootori, only realizing that I'm relaying my deepest darkest secret to a guy I had only met yesterday. If I wanted to continue a bond with him, it would only be right if he knew.

"If you really don't want to tell me, it's fine." Ootori reached to hold my hand but retreated them once he realized what he was doing.

"No, I want to." I made the decision to tell him the story. "One day we were playing the park. We were playing hide-n-go- seek. It was Onii-san's turn to find us so we were all separated. I was always the one that loses first so I'd thought of hiding in a more secret place. I decided to go hide in the woods. I thought it was the perfect spot, that way I know I wouldn't be the first to be called out. I didn't realize how big the forest was by myself. I always had Yuuta or Onii-san with me so it didn't seem all that scary to me. " I clenched my fists, recalling that nightmare.

"I somehow found myself lost in the woods. It was already getting dark and I couldn't find my way back to the playground. My brothers were probably looking for me like crazy but I was the stupid one to go off into the woods by myself. When I was wandering around a man approached me. He told me that he would help me back to the playground. I was naïve enough to believe him. He grabbed my hand and started walking down the path. Instead of the park, he led me to a clearing. The man pushed me down to the ground and started to touch me everywhere." I started to feel tears swell up around my eyes. It was so painful thinking about that nightmare. I vividly remember everything that had happened at that moment. I remember his course hands running up and down my tiny legs. I could almost feel his alcohol breath breathing down my skin. "He kept telling me to be quiet or else he'll never take me back to my family. When he touched my private area I screamed. But when I screamed he slapped me hard across my face. I remember crying and begging for my brothers to save me. My wish came true. Next thing I knew, the man fell off of me. Onii-san finally found me and kicked the man's face. Ko-niisan and Yuuta arrived shortly after with the police. Onii-san was my savior. If he didn't show up when he did, the man probably would have raped me. But that near-raped experience scarred me to be what I am today. Every time a man touches me, I'm always reminded of that painful memory." I finally finished my story. I was scared to look up at Ootori's face. This was the first time I've told someone my painful memory. I was honestly scared that he would reject me for whatever reason he could hold. He probably finds me disgusting with my phobia of men. There were plenty of beautiful and normal girls he could date. I'm not one of them.

"I'm sorry that you had to experience that." He started to speak. "Thank you for telling me your story. I'm happy you told me. You were willing to tell me a personal fact about yourself, which would only mean that you have started to trust me a little. I can't reverse what happened to you, but I want to help you. I know we only just met, but I want to continue being by your side and show you that there is still good in the world." Ootori looked at me with such sincere eyes, it made me want to cry even harder. And that's what I did. I started to cry uncontrollably. The people in the restaurant looked at us like we were crazy but I didn't care. No one has even been this kind to me.

Ootori leaned in to give me a comforting hug but I instantly pulled away from his touch by force of reflex. Instead, he reached out his hand to pat my head in a loving manner. The way he pet me was similar to how Syusuke touches me but still different. There was a different kind of love attached to his touch. I couldn't quite place my finger on it but all I know, it felt nice.

"It's comforting to be around you. I feel like I'm with Onii-san." I giggled wiping away the last of my tears. Ootori laughed along with me a little sad that I'm comparing him to my brother but it's a step closer.

"I'm glad you're becoming comfortable around me." He smiled.

After we finished our meal and made out way back to the station. It was the worst time to get into the station. Rush hour was going and everyone was crowding into the train. Like most, we were left standing, packed like sardines. It felt uncomfortable, especially with all these men around within touching distance from me. Ootori sensed my uneasiness and backed me to the door. He set his hands above my head, careful not to touch me. I noticed it suddenly became easier for me to breath. Ootori was using his body as a shield for me against everyone else in the car. I saw the slightly discomfort in his eyes when someone accidently bumped into him.

"You didn't have to do this…" I shyly remarked.

"I want to." He smiled. Right after he said that, someone bumped into him a little too hard and Ootori's body collided with mine. Such intense contact was too much for me. I let out a small scream and pushed him away. Suddenly all eyes were on us. I could hear everyone whispering how Ootori was a pervert that attempted to grope me. Ootori looked embarrassed but kept a stern face and continued being my shield. I felt bad for making him out to be the bad guy. Even in embarrassment, he continues to protect me. I reach up and wrapped my arms around his torso. I pushed my face into his chest to hide my embarrassment for this bold action.

"Gomen ne, you're not a pervert. I was just surprised." I apologized. I hoped that if I hugged him, the people in the train wouldn't think that he was a pervert. It worked. The older ladies smiled at how brave we were as a couple showing affection in public.

"It's okay…I kind of like this." He said bring one arm around me and the other holding on the wall to keep the two of us stable.

"Can I say something?" I asked, feeling my face becoming redder by the second.

"You can say anything." He commented.

"I really like touching you…" I whispered just audible enough for him to hear. I looked up to see him blushing looking at a different direction. He's just as shy as I am. "Maybe I'm the one becoming a pervert" I thought to myself.


End file.
